in focus
By Cameron Carr Photos courtesy of Philip Caruso, Bill Goldsmith, Phil O'Neil and Jason Stein
Westerville Side Story Westerville grads find success in entertainment industry
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oss Heran started at Westerville North High School in 1997, the same year a media studies class launched. “The teachers were trying to figure it out as we were getting it going,” he says. “We kind of helped to figure out what was going on. I learned the cameras, I learned the editing systems along with the teachers.” Heran ended up taking the class twice. It would prove formative, and he found inspiration in the class to pursue a career as a cameraman for TV and film. He has now worked on projects includ-
Ross Heran working on Stuck. 12 March/April 2022
ing Stuck, The Con is On and a Beyonce concert film. The class was part of a cultural trend in the ’90s to incorporate more arts into education, Heran says. It helped to open opportunities for students like him who were less interested in more traditional subjects. “I really wasn’t benefiting much from the other educational side of things,” Heran says. “I didn’t want to go to college until the media program started, until I got into theater.” Heran is one of many Westerville graduates who have gone on to careers in the entertainment industry, from acting and writing to camera work and content creation. Jason Stein, who now works as a creative executive for Lucasfilm Ltd., says he grew up visiting Comic Town, formerly located on State Street, but it was AP classes in his junior and senior years at North that helped show him the possibility of a career in the entertainment industry. Those classes, which taught higher level analysis techniques, helped Stein understand the depth of films, he says. Imagining a place where he fit beyond the celebrity names most associated with movies was a challenge for him. “I think that’s the big hurdle to overcome,” he says. “There are a lot of other roles that can use various skillsets in this industry that don’t just fall in the bucket of writer, director, actor or producer.” Even in college, Stein kept his options at The Ohio State
University with a double major in molecular genetics and film. After graduating though, Stein set out for Los Angeles. Early on, he worked as an assistant in a talent agency, which he says proved vital in learning the many roles within the film industry. Eventually landing at Lucasfilm, Stein now works to guide the storytelling of different Star Wars related projects to ensure each project delivers the expected quality while staying true to the Star Wars universe. As a longtime Star Wars fan, he’s had the opportunity to work on dream projects including the announcement of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series reboot. He’s currently working on a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game remake and the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel planned for Walt Disney World Resort. For those interested in careers related to acting and film, school theater programs are often an early start. Steven Boyer, a Tony-nominated actor, recalls participating in every theater production during his time at North. He even held a role in a high school production as a middle school student. Boyer found other
Ross Heran working on a proposed 3D miniseries titled Legends of Prohibition. www.westervillemagazine.com
